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Wotruba Church by Fritz G. Mayr

A brutalist church designed by sculptor Fritz Wotruba in Vienna, Austria.

The Wotruba Church is a prime example of how artistic approach can change architectural practice and product. The church was designed before the site was chosen. Nevertheless, the church has a commanding view of Vienna and sits in powerful contrast to its serene environment. Additionally, Wotruba claims inspiration from the French Gothic Cathedral Chartres, even though Wotruba Church’s brutalist—or some might even say art brut—style conveys very different values. The design’s form has no obvious symmetry or clear organization. 152 concrete blocks, ranging from 0.84 to 64 cubic meters and 1.8 to 141 tons, hold one another up in a random, chaotic, abstract way—lending few clues as to where the true front facade of the church lies. The simple windows are the primary indicator of what goes where; allowing for natural light to create changing patterns within the concrete block walls of the church.